Impacte da nova regulamentação na certificação energética de edifícios

Dissertação de Mestrado, Engenharia Civil, Especialização em Construção, Instituto Superior de Engenharia, Universidade do Algarve, 2016

Producers' Perceptions and Consumers' Behaviour Toward Certified Beans from Integrated Production (IP) in the Brazilian Central Region

Integrated production (IP) is part of the Brazilian government program to promote sustainable agricultural production. IP ensure minimum food quality standards for domestic market, and export. Furthermore, IP is considered a good option to reduce negative environmental impacts of intensive crops in tropical Savannas, including common beans, as a Brazilian staple food. Although its advantages, and the government’s effort to promote IP, few growers are adopting IP. Maybe, the perception about IP usefulness and/or its ease of use is not too clear. Moreover, the production sector is driven by market signs, and there is few information on the consumer's preferences toward IP certified products in Brazil. In this study, we sought to identify some critical factors that can influence the IP adoption in beans' production. Moreover, we sought to verify the consumers’ perceptions and intention of purchasing IP certified beans (hypothetical product). This report comprises four chapters: (1) an introduction illustrating the context in which the research was based; (2) the results on the study of IP adoption based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM); (3) the choice experiment results applied to identify consumers preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for IP label; (4) the results on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) applied to identify consumers’ perception toward IP certified beans. This research contributes with rich information for the beans’ supply chain, providing several insights to growers, retail and other agents, including policy makers. Beans’ production sector seems to be positively intentioned to adopt IP, but further studies should be conducted to test other adoption indicators using TAM model. Surveyed consumers are willing to pay a premium price for IP labelled beans. They showed a positive attitude toward purchasing IP labelled beans. It is an important information to motivate production sector to offer certified beans to the market.

Idoneidade formativa dos campos de prática clínica - caso particular de uma unidade de saúde personalizada

A Ordem dos Enfermeiros (OE) aprovou em Assembleia Geral de 2007 uma proposta de alteração estatutária em termos de regulação e desenvolvimento profissional. Surge assim o Modelo de Desenvolvimento Profissional (MDP) que traz uma nova dimensão à certificação de competências de enfermeiro e enfermeiro especialista. Se até aqui a OE certificava estas competências a partir dos documentos académicos apresentados, a partir desta alteração a certificação passa por uma prática tutelada de exercício profissional e só depois de dará a atribuição do título profissional. O Exercício Profissional Tutelado (EPT) só poderá ocorrer em serviços de saúde com idoneidade formativa acreditada pela OE. Para determinar esta idoneidade formativa dos contextos de prática clínica de enfermagem, é construído um referencial, que parte do documento “Padrões de Qualidade dos Cuidados de Enfermagem”, tendo como eixo organizador o enunciado descritivo sobre “A organização dos cuidados de enfermagem”. Este trabalho reflete o estágio realizado num contexto de prática clínica (Unidade de Cuidados de Saúde Personalizados) onde foi feita uma avaliação em termos de idoneidade formativa. De Abril a Junho de 2011 foi feita observação documental e da prática de enfermagem, aplicada uma grelha de avaliação de idoneidade formativa e entrevistado o enfermeiro chefe. Os resultados apresentados são de não evidência de idoneidade formativa, após o que se tentou estabelecer um Plano de Acção, para cumprimento dos critérios estabelecidos para a certificação. Com base no mesmo enunciado, a organização dos cuidados de enfermagem, foram delineadas algumas intervenções que, a seu tempo, poderão certificar esta unidade para a prática do exercício profissional tutelado. Destacamos o necessário envolvimento de todos os elementos de enfermagem, com uma condução de liderança forte e motivadora, no sentido criar um contexto de prática clínica congruente com as orientações da OE para a certificação e, em simultâneo, melhorar a qualidade dos cuidados de enfermagem prestados.

Qualidade do ar interior e conforto térmico : um estudo em espaços de estacionamento em Natal/RN

The recent tendency to utilize parking lots for other purposes has demonstrated that more time has been spent by visitors, mainly in great cities. Therefore, this paper investigates the thermal comfort and the air quality indoors in areas specifically used as parking lots by analyzing the direct relation between such environments and vehicular pollution. The thermal comfort and the quality of air indoors in parking lots with different architectonic typology (ground-floor and underground) are also studied, aiming to contribute to the proposition of suitable new areas designated to human usage. Field research was done, in two distinct periods within different weather conditions (January and July) in, two naturally cooled, parking lots located in Natal - RN. The internal environment agents were measured by using tools for air temperature, humidity, speed and direction; interviews with employees and visitors and chemical analysis through appropriate tools to analyze specific material, carbon monoxide and ozone. The results showed that chemical agents densely concentrate mostly in the closed parking space, aggravated by weather conditions, which dissatisfied the visitors. Still, it was shown that architectonic typology, alongside topographical aspects compromise internal environmental conditions, which increases the retention of pollution, leading to dissatisfactory thermal comfort levels and becoming less suitable for usage by visitors considering air and thermal comfort aspects. Consequently, they are not suitable for human stay due to the poor quality of the indoor air

Biobanks: Experience of the School of Medicine and the “Dr. José Eleuterio González” University Hospital of the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León

Medical research has greatly beneited from molecular biology and increasingly relies on tools from the “omics” disciplines (mainly genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics). The availability of biological samples preserved with high quality standards is a sine qua non condition for such studies and their repositories are referred to as biobanks. Biobanks support the transportation, storage, preservation, and initial pathological and analytical examinations of biospecimens, as well as the protection of relevant information and the comparison of clinical and laboratory findings. A biobank facility is one of the most valuable tools the academic medicine organizations can offer to their researchers to improve the competitiveness of their current and future medical research. it acts as an essential bridge and an effective catalyst for research synergies between basic and clinical sciences, and it can be potentiated with efforts to raise funds for acquiring and maintaining cutting-edge analytical infrastructure to better serve its clinical, pharmaceutical and biotech clients.

Elaboración de confitería a base de chocolate con edulcorantes no calóricos

En este trabajo de titulación se detallan los aspectos más relevantes relacionados a la investigación, formulación y elaboración de uno de los placeres más agradables en la vida cotidiana de cualquier persona como lo es el chocolate. Cada uno de los chocolates realizados tiene como particularidad el estar endulzado con edulcorantes no calóricos como: stevia, sucralosa y jarabe de yacón, disminuyendo así el contenido de calorías presentes en los mismos. Entre los tres chocolates elaborados, la mejor formulación fue seleccionada mediante una prueba de cata resultando ganador el chocolate endulzado con jarabe de yacón, debido a que posee las mejores características sensoriales resaltando principalmente el dulzor y el sabor. Para comprobar que la mejor formulación cumple con los estándares de calidad de las normas INEN de chocolates se realizó un análisis físico-químico y se corroboraron estos resultados con un laboratorio certificado por parte del Servicio de Acreditación Ecuatoriano (SAE). Los resultados obtenidos determinaron que el porcentaje de grasa es menor a los chocolates existentes en el mercado. Además se realizaron pruebas de dureza para analizar las propiedades de textura presentes en el chocolate. Destacando que el chocolate endulzado con jarabe de yacón puede ser consumido por personas diabéticas y no diabéticas, al no tener en su formulación sacarosa como endulzante principal.

Évaluation de la biomasse fongique dans les systèmes de ventilation

Le nettoyage des systèmes de Chauffage, Ventilation et Climatisation de l’Air est important pour assurer une bonne qualité d’air intérieur. Le déclenchement de leur nettoyage est basé sur une inspection visuelle qui ne tient pas compte du contenu en moisissures, lesquelles ont des effets sur le système respiratoire. Cette recherche vise à proposer une méthode d’évaluation du contenu en moisissures afin d’aider les gestionnaires d’immeuble. Cinq générations de poussières ont été effectuées pour simuler un conduit de ventilation. Une cassette modifiée 37 mm et un filtre CPV pré-pesés ont utilisés pour collecter les poussières déposées avec une pompe calibrée à 15L/min. Les pourcentages de collecte des cassettes et des filtres ont été calculés pour 54 échantillons. Dix générations supplémentaires de poussières ont été effectuées concomitamment avec la génération de spores. Soixante échantillons ont été analysés selon quatre méthodes : culture, comptage direct des spores par microscopie (CDSM), dosage de β-N-acétylhexosaminidase (NAHA), 18S-q-PCR. La limite de détection (LD), la réplicabilité, la répétabilité, le nombre de spores et le coefficient de corrélation (r) ont été déterminés. Les récupérations de poussières étaient supérieures à 84%. Selon la méthode analytique, les concentrations médianes de spores/100 cm² allaient de 10 000 à 815 000. Les LD variaient dépendamment de la méthode de 120 à 218 000 spores/100 cm² et r de -0,08 à 0,83. La réplicabilité et la répétabilité étaient de 1% et 1% pour PCR; 5% et 10% pour CDSM; 6% et 15% pour NAHA; 12% et 11% pour culture. La méthode de collecte a démontré une excellente efficacité de récupération. La PCR est la méthode analytique recommandée pour l’évaluation fongique des systèmes de ventilation. Une validation terrain est en cours.

Development of measurement and modeling techniques to quantify atmospheric deposition of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals in the Great Lakes

Measurement and modeling techniques were developed to improve over-water gaseous air-water exchange measurements for persistent bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals (PBTs). Analytical methods were applied to atmospheric measurements of hexachlorobenzene (HCB), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Additionally, the sampling and analytical methods are well suited to study semivolatile organic compounds (SOCs) in air with applications related to secondary organic aerosol formation, urban, and indoor air quality. A novel gas-phase cleanup method is described for use with thermal desorption methods for analysis of atmospheric SOCs using multicapillary denuders. The cleanup selectively removed hydrogen-bonding chemicals from samples, including much of the background matrix of oxidized organic compounds in ambient air, and thereby improved precision and method detection limits for nonpolar analytes. A model is presented that predicts gas collection efficiency and particle collection artifact for SOCs in multicapillary denuders using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sorbent. An approach is presented to estimate the equilibrium PDMS-gas partition coefficient (Kpdms) from an Abraham solvation parameter model for any SOC. A high flow rate (300 L min-1) multicapillary denuder was designed for measurement of trace atmospheric SOCs. Overall method precision and detection limits were determined using field duplicates and compared to the conventional high-volume sampler method. The high-flow denuder is an alternative to high-volume or passive samplers when separation of gas and particle-associated SOCs upstream of a filter and short sample collection time are advantageous. A Lagrangian internal boundary layer transport exchange (IBLTE) Model is described. The model predicts the near-surface variation in several quantities with fetch in coastal, offshore flow: 1) modification in potential temperature and gas mixing ratio, 2) surface fluxes of sensible heat, water vapor, and trace gases using the NOAA COARE Bulk Algorithm and Gas Transfer Model, 3) vertical gradients in potential temperature and mixing ratio. The model was applied to interpret micrometeorological measurements of air-water exchange flux of HCB and several PCB congeners in Lake Superior. The IBLTE Model can be applied to any scalar, including water vapor, carbon dioxide, dimethyl sulfide, and other scalar quantities of interest with respect to hydrology, climate, and ecosystem science.

Évaluation de la biomasse fongique dans les systèmes de ventilation

Le nettoyage des systèmes de Chauffage, Ventilation et Climatisation de l’Air est important pour assurer une bonne qualité d’air intérieur. Le déclenchement de leur nettoyage est basé sur une inspection visuelle qui ne tient pas compte du contenu en moisissures, lesquelles ont des effets sur le système respiratoire. Cette recherche vise à proposer une méthode d’évaluation du contenu en moisissures afin d’aider les gestionnaires d’immeuble. Cinq générations de poussières ont été effectuées pour simuler un conduit de ventilation. Une cassette modifiée 37 mm et un filtre CPV pré-pesés ont utilisés pour collecter les poussières déposées avec une pompe calibrée à 15L/min. Les pourcentages de collecte des cassettes et des filtres ont été calculés pour 54 échantillons. Dix générations supplémentaires de poussières ont été effectuées concomitamment avec la génération de spores. Soixante échantillons ont été analysés selon quatre méthodes : culture, comptage direct des spores par microscopie (CDSM), dosage de β-N-acétylhexosaminidase (NAHA), 18S-q-PCR. La limite de détection (LD), la réplicabilité, la répétabilité, le nombre de spores et le coefficient de corrélation (r) ont été déterminés. Les récupérations de poussières étaient supérieures à 84%. Selon la méthode analytique, les concentrations médianes de spores/100 cm² allaient de 10 000 à 815 000. Les LD variaient dépendamment de la méthode de 120 à 218 000 spores/100 cm² et r de -0,08 à 0,83. La réplicabilité et la répétabilité étaient de 1% et 1% pour PCR; 5% et 10% pour CDSM; 6% et 15% pour NAHA; 12% et 11% pour culture. La méthode de collecte a démontré une excellente efficacité de récupération. La PCR est la méthode analytique recommandée pour l’évaluation fongique des systèmes de ventilation. Une validation terrain est en cours.

Compass e-newsletter

The “Compass E-Newsletter” is published quarterly by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and is compiled by the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling to provide environmental information from the agency.

Compass e-newsletter

The “Compass E-Newsletter” is published quarterly by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and is compiled by the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling to provide environmental information from the agency.

Compass e-newsletter

The “Compass E-Newsletter” is published quarterly by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and is compiled by the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling to provide environmental information from the agency.

Compass e-newsletter

The “Compass E-Newsletter” is published quarterly by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and is compiled by the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling to provide environmental information from the agency.

Compass e-newsletter

The “Compass E-Newsletter” is published quarterly by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and is compiled by the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling to provide environmental information from the agency.

Compass e-newsletter

The “Compass E-Newsletter” is published quarterly by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and is compiled by the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling to provide environmental information from the agency.